Arena of Suffering News

[p]One of the things that I've found the hardest to change about RPG Maker's systems is the "simple" stuff: menus, raw layout, etc. It fights back when you try to reset some of the engine's defaults. I'd really like to improve our UI/UX. Because the default system is well known, I don't think that many users are going to have any problems figuring out how to play, but I'd like to make those important details more fun and functional over time (for future games and for Arena too, if at all possible).[/p][p]Which JRPG has the best UI in recent years from your experiences? In terms of looks, the most recent Atelier really impressed me. They've not usually been at the forefront for graphics (fun gameplay though). But Resleriana looks great. Gorgeous menus. I want to make awesome menus.[/p]

[p]To "relax" after Next Fest, I got back into work for future games and updates to Arena of Suffering. But I'd gotten some good advice from other devs and feel like we're already bumping hard into the ceiling of RPG Maker MZ. I mean, we made 70 plugins for our first game just to try and make the system do what we wanted. More are coming too--our update Lighting system is working, as are first implementations of Weather and Particle systems. Super cool stuff, and a lot of fun to make and to see in practice.[/p][p]But for the long-term...I think we're going to make our next game in Godot instead. I was intimidated by it as a first time developer because it looked like a lot more work than simply grabbing RPGM MZ. And it is. It's also so much more flexible. Way more top end. More control. I think this is the right call. I'm three days into making a new engine and it's going very well. I didn't want to post until I was pretty certain that this was the direction I'll take next time.[/p][p]Anyway, keep having fun everyone. Next Fest was nuts, and this week is busy while still being a lot calmer, hehe. Be well. :)[/p]

[p]I've been thinking of ideas to improve our Header Capsule (the wide art you see on the Steam Store Page). I went for that fun 90s vibe, to fit the style of game that we're honoring. But, there is a careful line between fun nostalia and just looking dated. I'm not sure that I rode the line correctly, and a few people have mentioned that this doesn't land for them. I'm going to try and make a better one if I can.[/p][p]If people have ideas or just want to mentioned their favorite headers, go ahead and show them off. My main idea is to try and have Saval raising a shield, warding off dragonfire. Nice and epic without adding so many elements that it's overwhelming. So far . . . well, still not anything worth showing off. Hopefully we'll get there and I'll have something cool to show everyone. :)[/p]

[p]Next Fest has been a whirlwind, so I’m taking a breather from marketing to share five fresh critters from our dungeon beneath the northern mountains. Cold air, blue-white palette, and lots of teeth.[/p][p][/p][p]The dungeon has caved in on itself in a few spots, so I added wilderness creatures of that area. The Frost Imps are an interesting case. I didn't use any other swarm art (everything else is just a single creature per image). But I wanted to try a trio here.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]And these two are midbosses for that dungeon. I had a LOT of fun making the chimera fight. You can trash the heads to limit the enemy's attacks, or rush the main body and just secure the kill if you think you're overleveled/geared and don't need to sweat the details. The non-headless Dulahan is more of a tank and punish fight. He's tough but fair? But something in his room looks a tad off. I'll leave you to check that out on your own (be very careful). :)[/p][p][/p][p]The final boss is supposed to feel like a real interloper. Everything else is on theme for the area, and then this guy is there. Bright orange, look all swoll. I really wanted him to stand out. His mechanics were WAY too simple early on, so I came back to him and came up with some better ideas. He uses fire damage over time on people, and if it doesn't get cleansed off of them he can heal over time while still damaging the party. Much easier with a balanced group, especially with healers. DPS parties have to push very hard and fast to get out ahead of him.[/p][p]Question for you: should I keep using multi-creature art for true swarms, or stick to single-monster portraits?[/p]

[p]Thanks to everyone who checked out our page and demo — whether you wishlisted or not, I really appreciate your time![/p][p]
The day completely snowballed, and it’s taken a huge weight off my shoulders. As a first-time developer, it’s terrifying to put your game out there and not know if anyone will even see it. (I’m sure second-time devs will tell me the fear never really goes away, lol.)[/p][p]Anyway — this is so cool. I’d love to hear your thoughts or ideas for the future if you have a moment to hop on the discussion board. No word on any bugs yet (yay!), but I’ve cleared my schedule this week just in case we need a new build for anything spooky.[/p][p]Here’s the new vertical capsule we swapped in last night, featuring Soval.
I wanted to make things feel a bit more active. What do you think?[/p]